-: This is the new Veterinary Diagnostic Center.
We moved in last August.
This building is unique because both the faculty
and the staff that work in the lab
had a really hands on approach to designing it,
to really tailoring it towards the Nebraska clientele.
We've implemented a lot of new technology
and information technology,
so we have sort of a system that allows us
to notify where samples are at, where they're going.
A lot of the research we're doing is applied research,
so we're trying to figure out how we can improve
our diagnostic tests for, specifically, livestock.
So my area, I work on bovine respiratory disease
and ocular disease, and so we're trying to find ways
that we can improve the tests
so that we can get more information on those tests
to the clientele, and also increase our ability
to detect and report antimicrobial resistance.
There were several technological advances
that we were able to incorporate into the building.
One is a mass spectrometry technology called MALDI-TOF.
And the MALDI-TOF has really revolutionized our ability
to diagnose these infections.
So where bacterial identification before would take days
or even weeks for us to get that result finished
and out to the veterinarian,
now we're talking in the hours level.
An additional instrumentation that we got is called FTIR
or an infrared spectrometer.
And this is we're looking at the surface of the bacteria.
We're able to look down at that level
where the immune system of the animals
are recognizing those pathogens
and really find what's making that pathogen
and infection occur in the animal and, hopefully,
provide diagnostic information to the veterinarian.
The two major benefits that the state has,
to be able to really expand our portfolio of tests
so zoonotic diseases like rabies,
we were able to bring that testing in house
along with the poultry test,
so we're able to bring a full portfolio
of our poultry testing
to provide services for those clients.
And then along with our routine livestock testing,
we've been able to take that to the next level
in being able to diagnose
those infectious diseases in animals.
(light music)